Organic Learning Gardens in Higher Education: Do They Improve Kindergarten Pre-service Teachers’ Connectedness to and Conception of Nature?

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Raquel Pérez-López¹  Marcia Eugenio-Gozalbo²  Daniel Zuazagoitia³  Aritz Ruiz-González³ 

[1] Department of Research and Psychology in Education, School of Education, Complutense University of Madrid;Department of Experimental and Social Sciences, Faculty of Education of Soria, University of Valladolid;Department of Didactic of Mathematics and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Education and Sport, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU)

关键词: nature;    organic learning gardens;    environmental concerns;    pre-service teachers;    connectedness to nature;    phenomenography;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00282

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Studies have shed light on the idea that people who have experiences in natural settings might be more aware of the environment. Learning gardens, as outdoor contexts, might contribute to the development of students’ affective relations toward nature, pro-environmental attitudes, and protective actions; neverthless, these aspects begging to be explored. This preliminary research investigates the impact that the use of organic gardens to teach natural sciences at university has on kindergarten pre-service teachers’ (KPST) connectedness to and conceptions of nature. The research follows a pre-/post-design and it uses a mixed methods approach. A total of 74 students completed four quantitative scales (INS, CCC, LCN, and NR-6), and 66 of them an open question about the concept of nature. After the garden experience, students scored higher in all the scales, nevertheless the change was significant only for INS and CCC. The phenomenographic analysis evidenced an initial predominant static and non-social concept of nature, biased toward the most obvious biological elements. After the garden-based learning experience, more informed conceptions of nature – including notions of complexity and systemic character – increased from 7 to 19%; however, statistical comparison was not significant. In spite of the absence of concluding results, further research is required to assess the role that learning gardens may play regarding connectedness to nature and pro-environmental behaviors.

【 授权许可】

CC BY